by Anthology
Nick just sat there in bed staring at the door. Part of him wanted to go after her to tell her he loved her and how much she meant to him and how devastating it was she seemed to be able to cheat on him so lightly. Another part of him wanted to know if she cheated before or if this was the first time. But he continued to sit there because he knew deep down they couldn't come back from this. Sure, there were couples who bounce back after an affair, but if she was so anxious about getting engaged that her first response was nerves and to cheat on him with someone she had met a handful of times, then there were bigger problems at work. He’d gone home the next day without waiting for the closing ceremonies. He simply packed up, checked out, and headed home to the bakery Stephanie had found for him.
When he’d gotten back, he had been moody and angry for over a month. He only saw Stephanie one other time, when she was returning some things of his from her apartment and asking if she could grab some of her stuff from his. He had not handled the breakup well. He wasn't really eating, which was weird because, as a baker, he’d always been someone who enjoyed testing his own products, but everything seemed to taste like ash. With Stephanie gone, he began to lose weight, and after that first initial month, his business partner, Frank, finally staged his very own intervention and convinced Nick to start snapping out of it. Even though Frank was more of an introvert, he went out of his way to go to different events in the area and drag Nick with him, not to find a date but just to get him out of his above-shop apartment.
Nick's mood improved, and slowly he got better. Eventually, he started going to the gym with Frank. It became a routine of theirs four days a week. Then Nick started losing weight in earnest. Sure, he got back to eating and sampling the goods in the bakery, but he was a little more conscientious of what and how much, and within six months, he dropped all that extra weight, which was something his doctor was very happy about. He was now a normal weight and size for his height. He was always going to be a little bulky as he had thicker, denser bones, but he didn't look pleasantly pudgy as he always had before. Business started to improve as he experimented with mildly healthier baked recipes. They expanded the shop by buying out the space next to them and doubled the bakery size. These last five months had been wonderful.
But that was all spinning out of control as he had almost forgotten he preregistered last year for this year's event. He knew he had to go as a recipient of the scholarship, he needed to give back. Part of him really wanted to, but then he knew via another alumnus’s Facebook page, Luke and Stephanie were now a couple, and the last thing he wanted to spend the weekend doing was watching the happy couple and dwelling on how they betrayed him. Sure, he wanted to show off that he was healthier, happy, and in better shape, but he knew the moment he saw them, his self-esteem was going to drop back to that of the overweight culinary student. He didn't know what he was going to do, not to mention he would need to have his costume taken in since the event itself was in a month.
Needing more time to think about it, Nick maneuvered his way around the counter, sliding all of the mail off of it as he walked by, and headed back into his office, dumping all the papers onto his desk. Just then, he heard the bell above the door, announcing Frank's arrival.
"Hey, anybody home?" Frank's voice wafted from the front of the store.
Not wanting to really talk about the poker tournament right then, Nick decided not to answer and instead made his way out to the front of the bakery. Frank was shorter than Nick by about half a foot and had been heavily into mixed martial arts before he decided to go to night school to get a business degree. The other man very much looked like an ex-fighter who wasn't in the shape he had once been but still put in the effort. His nose had clearly been broken at least once before, but that was the only part of him that showed any old war wounds.
"Whoa, all right, what happened, dude? And don't try and worm your way around that question. You don't frown like that unless it's something moderately upsetting."
Nick silently cursed the fact he had never been able to school his expressions. He'd always had an expressive face and had never been good at hiding his emotions. He wasn't sure what convinced him he would be able to keep this from Frank. Frank would poke at him and just keep poking until Nick told him what was going on. It was better to get it out of the way now and not have to deal with it the rest of the day.
"Long story short, I just got the invitation for the poker tournament in Portland next month. It just kind of brought everything rushing back to me, I guess."
Frank let out a whistle before going over to the sink, washing his hands, and grabbing his apron off the rack next to it. "Have you decided what you’re going to go? Don't get me wrong, I think you should go. But knowing you, I'm guessing you're waffling, am I right?"
Nick walked over to the sink and washed his hands before grabbing his own apron and leading the way back to the kitchen so they could start getting the pastries they prepared last night into the oven and out for the morning rush that would be hitting in about a half hour. As he pulled the sheets out of one of the refrigerators, he answered his friend. "I want to go, but I don't want to see them. But at the same time, I'm worried being there is going to set off all of those memories and make the poker itself not enjoyable. And while I don't want it to seem like I'm not going because they are going, that's pretty much exactly what I want to do. It would just feel weird showing up alone."
Frank took the trays from Nick and laid them out on the counter so he could do some of the finishing touches before popping them in the oven. "I understand, I really do, but you've been going to this since before Stephanie. It's something you enjoy doing. I don't think you should have to give that up because of two horrible people. If you're that concerned about not being alone, I'll go with you. We can always close the shop. And if that's not quite what you had in mind, I'm sure we could always find someone of the more feminine persuasion who would be willing to go with you. All we have to do is put some thought into it. As I'm assuming you're not wanting to take your sister as a date."
He was right. Nick’s much younger sister, Jenny, while she would be fun to spend a weekend in Portland with, would probably not be the best fit when trying to make himself look not heartbroken over Stephanie. There had to be someone; he just had to think on it. But in the meantime, Jenny would make a really good backup, and he knew his sister well enough to know she wouldn't mind being the backup plan. Though he couldn't count on her not to cause some sort of fight as an excuse to try and kick the crap out of Stephanie.
"Let's just put Jenny on the back burner for now. I'll have to think about it for a little while and see if I can come up with anyone who might be willing to go with me. I think having somebody there would make it less hard, depending on the person."
Frank nodded his approval. "Good, so you're going then. We just have to find you a date. I'm sure we can think of someone by the end of the day, or barring that, the end of the week.
Nick smiled at his friend, feeling slightly better about the situation than he had when he first saw the envelope. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. But part of him wondered if it could possibly be a disaster instead.
Chapter 2
Emma walked into Pastries on Forth and took a deep breath at the familiar, delicious smell. She couldn't help it; every time she came into Nick and Frank's place to do their books, which was every Thursday afternoon, her mouth would always water a little bit. But she only let herself get one item, on her way out, per visit. Once she got used to the smell, there were the two owners themselves. Both were attractive men, in their own way, and her best friend, Gina, still made fun of her when she talked about the bakery and its hot owners.
To be fair though, Nick was more her type. She liked men tall, with dark hair, and sturdily built. So often she ran across men his height but thinner. He had been attractive when he was a little pudgy, but he had been engaged when they initially met—well, no, that wasn't right. He'd only been dating Stephanie and become engaged late
r, basically he had been unavailable, so Emma tried not to look with any interest. He had been single again for a year and hadn't necessarily taken to the single life very well at first. She felt really bad for him, and both she and his business partner had been concerned for his well-being. He was doing much better now and things were in a better balance.
As the door shut behind her, Frank looked up from where he was standing at the side counter and smiled at her. She smiled back and gave him a little wave as she headed toward the back where the office was. Nick was busy helping two middle-aged women who were pointing at various pastries in the case, but he gave her a quick smile as she walked by.
Emma looked around the office as she entered the back of the shop. That was one of the other things she liked about Pastries on Fourth, their office had not changed in all the years she had been doing their books for them. Straight ahead of the door on the opposite wall sat Nick’s desk, which was always clean, minus a couple papers here and there. To her left, facing the room instead of the wall, was Frank's desk, and as always, it was so cluttered with paper and various items. You couldn't really see the desk itself. Emma still wasn't sure if he actually used the desk for its intended purpose or if all he ever did was pile more stuff on it. In the years she'd been with them, it didn't necessarily grow bigger, but it didn't grow smaller either. So as usual, she grabbed all the necessary books they had off the shelf on the wall just to the right of the door and headed to Nick's desk. They finally updated their system so the front end and back end computers were synced, which made her job much easier, but it also meant she only had to come once a week instead of two, which was kind of a downside because she really liked Frank and Nick.
Shaking her head to clear that thought process, Emma concentrated on making sure all the information downloaded properly into the accounting software. She was squinting at the numbers and making sure everything was matching up as it should be before getting ready to cut the checks for their monthly bills, when she heard Frank and Nick arguing on the other side of the office door. Arguing wasn't quite the right word. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but she could hear Frank's almost amused tone and Nick adamantly opposing whatever Frank was saying.
As the door pushed open, she heard Frank say, "Just do it." Then Nick appeared in the doorway as if he had been pushed.
It was odd behavior for the two of them, which was what made Emma twist in her chair so she could give her full attention to see what it was he wanted. She knew her curiosity showed on her face, even more so at the nervous frown on his.
Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was indeed quite strange for him, and Emma found it even more amusing. She knew they were not going to ask her to stop doing their books or anything like that. They both would've come for that, and she knew they were doing well enough that the cost of keeping her was not really a burden.
She sat in silence, her and Nick looking at each other for several seconds, before he folded his arms and looked her dead in the eyes. "Okay, I have a favor to ask."
When he didn't continue right away, she felt herself frown slightly. "Okay."
He took another deep breath. "I have this yearly poker tournament I go to for the scholarship I received in college, and as you may remember, last year's trip was where Stephanie left me for another poker player and long-term friend of mine. While I want to go because I want to support what it stands for, I don't want to go alone because part of me feels it would look a little desperate and like they really did ruin everything for me, which they did for a couple months but everything is better now. Anyway, I would just feel better if I had a date to go with me, and I was wondering if you would be okay coming with me down to Portland for a long weekend at the end of the month. We will have separate beds so you will be more comfortable. I just need it to look like we are a couple. And by no means is it a problem if you say no."
Emma had a lot of emotions flying through her head at that. Part of her wanted to jump at the chance of getting to spend the weekend with Nick. In all the time she’d known him, she found him attractive and interesting and really wanted to spend time with him, but he was a client and engaged. This could be the perfect opportunity for her to make her move, not that she was one to really make moves, but it would certainly be an opportunity for her to try. Part of her was amused because he was so nervous, and part of her wondered just why he was asking her. It was that last part that ended up bubbling up from her throat. "Why me?"
He almost looked startled, as if he expected a flat no and wasn't expecting or prepared for anything else. "Oh, well, for starters, you've been doing our books so long and joking around with us that I think a point can be made that you're a friend. I'm pretty sure you can't argue against that. Plus, you were there for the whole Stephanie fiasco and the aftermath, which means you'd be the perfect person to understand why I would want to have somebody with me and why it's important. Not to mention, being a friend, you’re not going to read into my invitation and expect things like somebody else might."
She knew he didn't mean to, but it was as if he was poking her in the heart with a toothpick. It wasn't a big wound, but it was enough of a prick to get her attention and cause a little bit of pain. Here she was thinking she’d finally get a shot, and he was shutting her down before she could even take it. Part of her wanted to say no just based on that. But more of her felt for him.
Nick was just an all-around nice guy. He went out of his way to know little facts about all of his customers. He was always the first to donate goods or services to local charity events. Emma hated to see the way Stephanie treated him, so it had been a twofold relief when they broke up. She understood why he would want someone he trusted to help him out, to support him through something that was going to be tough, and she was touched he considered her trustworthy enough to ask, even if Frank probably had to push him into it. Emma prided herself on being the type of friend who was always there when a friend was in need.
She reminded herself she was a strong, independent woman and she could help this friend out without her hurt feelings, or any other feelings, getting in the way. She gave him a confident smile, which she didn't entirely feel. "Sure, Nick, I’ll help you out. Just let me know what dates so I can clear my schedule and make sure everything's taken care of."
This time Nick appeared even more surprised than before. "Yeah, sure, it's the twenty-seventh through the twenty-ninth. The festivities don't start until 7 p.m. on Friday. It's sort of the drinks and opening ceremony type thing. Everything has already been paid in advance, I prepaid last year when I mistaking thought Stephanie would be joining me. Then we play from 10 a.m. until the tournament has been whittled down to the final five players Saturday. Sunday we play the final table until there is a winner, which is usually sometime around 3 p.m. Then there's a closing ceremony for anyone who’s still around, where they award the scholarships to this year's recipients. It's a quick little ceremony. They have little sandwiches and such but nothing extravagant. They also pay food expenses on Saturday for those participating, as well as for their plus one, so you won't have to worry about that."
He turned as if to leave but then turned back, which equaled a sort of spinning in place motion that Emma found hard not to laugh at. "Oh, and there's a theme. It's sort of a Wild West thing, not like the real Wild West, but sort of the 1990s Hollywood Wild West. Since you’re a plus one, you don't really need to dress in a costume, but it is encouraged. I just figured I would give you the heads up, so you could plan whatever would be the most comfortable for you. If you want to meet me here at three on that Friday, I'll drive us down and that'll give us enough time to get ready and get our story straight before the opening ceremonies that night." He stood there another second, as if trying to figure out if there was more information he had for her, but then he finally smiled again. "Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it. It's going to make things easier to have someone in my corner for this." Then he finally turned and headed into the
bakery.
Emma shook her head, unsure as to whether she thought the situation was funny or if she just found it a little ironic and sad. Though she thought Nick's response to the whole thing was entertaining, she couldn't help but kick herself for not mentioning that it was a hard proposition not to read into. But at the same time, being his friend was more important right now, and she knew it wasn't the time for her to make any sort of move, especially since he made it so clear he didn't want to have someone with him who would have expectations. If he knew she kind of expected something, he would probably refuse to take her and then her opportunity would be gone. Worst-case scenario, she would be the friend he needed her to be this time, and then maybe that would help him see her in a non-client/bookkeeper way, and eventually maybe he'd see her as someone he could develop an interest in. That sounded a little delusional even to Emma, but a girl had to have hope.
Chapter 3
The weeks between when Emma agreed to go with him and when the tournament finally came around went by in a whirlwind for Nick. He made sure his costume was the right size for all the weight he lost, and had to admit, even if it was only to himself, it looked much better on him now than it had before. Whether that was because he felt more confident in his body or if his physique was actually better was a tossup. He also changed arrangements for their room from what he booked a year ago. He was smart about it though; he didn't want to make her uncomfortable by having to share a bed, so instead he reserved a room with two twin beds. That way, for appearance’s sake, they could look like a couple. He checked with her before going ahead and booking it. If he wasn't mistaken, she appreciated his thoughtfulness.
